บท 60: All Nine People
Zhang Yong shook his head. What a ridiculous thought. If Shou really wished for him to work in this store, he could just ask, and he'd gladly sacrifice any of his mortal possessions to begin his career here. And it wasn't like that boy was lacking in money and couldn't hire someone more suitable for this position.
So, that meant, what Shou said was the truth? He couldn't quite believe that either. Getting a job? Was that all that was needed to rise in cultivation levels? It made sense when that youth explained it, but even then, he could not wrap his head around it. The idea seemed so abstract, it was almost laughable. "How am I supposed to get a job in this day and age?"
While Zhang Yong simmered in his own thoughts, the door opened once more, the bell chiming melodiously. Another two people entered, and if it weren't that the duo was familiar, they may have just gotten arrested for their shady behavior.
Li Yinyi and Li Yangyi both had a blanket draped over them. They cautiously looked around, trying to avoid any passerbys' eyes. Thankfully (or regretfully), there weren't many people that visited this place. After entering, they immediately slammed the door shut, not even letting the wind in. Only after they saw Shou and Zhang Yong, did they breathe a sigh of relief.
"I told you there's no way papa knows where this place is," Li Yinyi muttered. "Greetings, Zhang Yong!"
Her brother still wasn't convinced. "How can you be so sure? I tried convincing him to visit the store himself, but he just would not budge. If only he was as open-minded as me. Tsk, tsk." He shook his head. "Whatever. Listen Yinyi, nothing is sure in this world. He may have found out by trailing our steps or asking some passerby. Maybe that rat Wang jing told him. Or maybe he used some mystical arts to beguile us and make us tell him the place." He then bowed at Zhang Yong. "I greet you, sir."
"Who do you think papa is? The all-knowing Buddha?" Li Yinyi tilted her head. "Your imagination really runs wild, huh?"
"Welcome to the Store of Fates," Shou interrupted them with a greeting. If they stayed at the entrance for any longer, he feared the guards may come to arrest all of them for their shady dealings. "Glad to see you were able to make it."
"Truthfully, we almost didn't," Li Yangyi spoke and shuddered. "Well, I didn't know that Yinyi had so many ways to sneak out of the mansion. If not, I wonder if I would have ever seen the daylight again." The boy stared at the sky, his eyes glistening.
Li Yinyi glanced at her brother. "You are turning into a troublemaker, just like me, huh?"
"Don't put me in the same pot as you! I am here because, uh, because I wish to learn that masterful art of that pesky chef. Yes, it's a noble uptaking, very different from you who just wishes to goof around with that witch." The boy nodded as if to convince himself.
"Wha- I am also here to learn from that witch! You're being prejudiced, right now." His sister huffed, her cheeks puffing up like two small buns. "Say the truth, you are only here because you lost that sparring contest against Li Bufang again, right?"
"He's almost half a decade older than me, of course, he wins!" Li Yanyi shouted. "Ugh, whatever. Don't cause any more trouble." After saying everything on his mind, and patting his sister's head, he faced Shou. "Can you open an instance for me?"
"Right now?" Shou stared outside. The day was still young. Why was he in such a rush? Well, but then again, there was nothing better to do.
The boy nodded vehemently. "I fear that if I wait any longer, I can feel my father closing in on me at any moment. To be honest, when I close my eyes, I hallucinate his breath running right down my nape." he shuddered. "I don't think there's any point to waiting anyways."
Li Yinyi rolled her eyes. It was only their father. She had been scolded by him an uncountable amount of times, and she wasn't scared to cause trouble anymore at all. At worst she would simply get disowned for a while again. Thus, she couldn't understand why her brother was shaking that much. "Uh, I will just watch for now. I haven't really thought about what games to play with the witch yet.
"Heh." Li Yangyi glanced at his sister. "If you take too long, father is going to arrive and pull you out while you are in the game. Are you sure you shouldn't make the wiser choice and join me?" As he said so, the boy placed the spirit crystals on the table, while Shou greedily collected them.
"Alright, I will open an instance for you now." He nudged Zhang Yong. "You want to join?"
"What? Uh, well, I wanted to, but I have been stuck thinking about your words, so I will wait too," he answered.
"You guys' loss then," Li Yangyi said while chuckling. He remembered, there were only 4 cores, so if they waited too long, won't they get a seat at all? He patted himself on the back for his foresight. Then, he injected his Spiritual Qi to enter the illusory world.
Right after, the bells on the door chimed again, and new people entered once more. Zhang Yong and Li Yinyi, who sat at the couch, had to cock their head to see who entered. It didn't take long for them to realize it was An Bai, the muscular and straightforward merchant of the Dragon Circle. It wasn't the first time for them to see this person here, but nevertheless, they felt surprised at such a famous person entering a store in the middle of nowhere.
Following right behind him, there was another man. Though no one knew that guy. Zhang Yong guessed, maybe it was retainer or bodyguard?
The merchant, An Bai, greeted Shou. "Owner, I have come to once more support this shop."
"What a weird way of talking. Just say you've come to play," Shou replied and laughed slightly. "Oh, the person behind you. . . he was here too, last time, right?"
"Thank you for remembering me!" The bodyguard nodded. "Yes, I was the one that got eaten alive by that monstrous beast. My name is Wan Gu. I have no unique qualities except for my above-average physique. People tell me I have a weak presence, so I am really happy you didn't forget me."
". . ." Wait, he was here at that time? He truly had forgotten. Zhang Yong felt his face twitch, as Li Yinyi glanced at him curiously.
"No need to be so uptight, the owner doesn't like it if you behave this way." An Bai said.
Shou stared at him and wondered if he was the right person to utter such words. 'Did his company only hire straightforward people like that?'
Suddenly, voices, akin to bickering resounded from the outside, as if they were having the most important argument of all time. Shou did not have to see them to know who they could possibly be. "Oh, it seems we are gonna be busy today."
As soon as his sentence ended, the door slammed open, and two fashionable young women pushed through the door, their cheeks pressing against each other, while they pulled the other persons' dress away.
"Welcome, Lin Zhuyue and Ran Wei." At the same time, Shou felt relieved. It appeared that even people without any interest in cultivation could find the fun within such games.
"Hey, I'd like you to open an artifact please," the two of them said in unison, then glared at each other. It was almost comical.
"Now, now, you guys don't have to rush." Fatty Ah Liang, who entered after sucking in his belly, told them with a wry smile. He had been part of their bickering for quite a while now, and if it weren't for them being Shou's friends, he'd have ditched them a long time ago.
"Fatty Liang? What are you doing here," An Bai stood up and greeted him with a smile. He patted his colleague's shoulder, making him wince in slight pain. "It looks like you still know how to enjoy yourself apart from food!" The man observed the two women he brought. "But you know this isn't that kind of establishment right? There are also children here. . ."
"Don't be stupid," Ah Liang hit the back of An Bai's head, though he hurt himself on that mans' thick skull. "They are employees of mine, but also friends with boss Shou, so don't get any wrong idea."
"F-Friends? I apologize I did not kn—"
Before he could finish his sentence, one more familiar person entered the fray, bringing the chaos up one last notch. "Oh, so this is what the place looks like in the daytime. Surprisingly full," Mei Xue said.
"This is looking like a class reunion," Shou couldn't help comment. Even with the new space generated by the renovation, the place seemed small now.
The moment she entered the Store of Fates turned quiet, as every other person stared at the new customer, Mei Xue, in absolute shock. They had to rub their eyes, just to understand if what they were seeing was the truth and not some kind of bizarre illusion created by this store.
Mei Xue! Unbelievable!
There was no person that did not know of Mei Xue, she was the most prolific, notorious, famous, and infamous person within the city! Her beauty was unmatched, her wits without bounds, and her talents immeasurable.
Zhang Yong and Li Yinyi were bewildered, seeing someone from the three families in this place. An Bai stood petrified, while Wan Gu couldn't even look Mei Xue in the eyes, without blushing. Ran Wei and Lin Zhuyue stopped arguing, stunned by her absolute beauty. Ah Liang even fell on his butt, staring at the woman in front of him.
The lady that caused such great stir did not mind their reactions. Instead, she looked inside the room with the VARiable cores and tilted her head. "What's with the dude sleeping on the table?"
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